Handcrafted in Oakland, California
Functional art for modern living.
Hexagonal cabins, built by hand — simplicity, comfort, and nature combined.
Hexagonal cabins, built by hand — simplicity, comfort, and nature combined.
Every Hive is a 96-square-foot hexagonal cabin, built start-to-finish in our West Oakland workshop and delivered to your site complete: furnished, insulated, wired, heated, and cooled. No foundation. No permits in most cases. No months of contractors in your backyard.
Use it as a guest room, a home office, an in-law suite, an off-grid cabin — or put it to work as a Hipcamp or Airbnb rental that pays for itself.
“The Hives themselves were such an incredible, minimalist space.”Zoë B. — Hipcamp guest, Point San Pablo Harbor
Each cabin begins as a CNC-cut hexagonal frame that snaps together with joinery-level precision, then gets weeks of handwork: tongue-and-groove pine interiors, hemp insulation, low-VOC Vermont Natural Coatings PolyWhey floors, optional black pine-tar exterior in the Scandinavian tradition, copper details, and a cedar deck.
Hives have survived Vermont winters and Bay Area summers alike. We build every unit ourselves — the founder is in the shop, on the tools, for every cabin that leaves it.
A 96-square-foot room is a small volume of air, and you'll be sleeping in it. So we're picky about what goes inside the walls — not just what you can see. Cyrus has sourced nearly every material in a Hive for low toxicity and low impact, often at real cost and effort.
Walls and roof are insulated with hemp fiber batts — a renewable crop, carbon-storing, itch-free, and naturally moisture-regulating. No fiberglass, no formaldehyde binders.
Floors and interiors are sealed with Vermont Natural Coatings PolyWhey, a whey-based, low-VOC finish. Exteriors get pine tar or natural oil — Scandinavian methods that predate petrochemicals.
Tongue-and-groove pine inside, cedar decking, copper details. Real materials that age well, off-gas nothing, and can be repaired instead of replaced.
No foundation to pour, no demolition when you leave. A Hive goes with you — the most sustainable building is the one you never have to tear down.
CNC-cut frames mean precise cuts and less scrap, and we keep the supply chain short and local where we can.
Runs on a standard outlet or a solar generator, with a high-efficiency heater and a 6,000 BTU AC sized for the space — not oversized for the spec sheet.
Cyrus Pond is Hive's founder and lead builder, and he's the one who answers. Ask about your site, your timeline, or whether a Hive is even the right call for you. No sales pitch — just the guy with the tools.
96 sq ft hexagonal plan · sleeps 2 · queen bed platform
6,000 BTU air conditioner · 1,500W high-efficiency heater · 3.5" hemp fiber insulation
Standard 110V or 30-amp RV plug — off-grid / solar-generator ready
Queen mattress, desk & stool, fold-down bench, LED lighting
Under-bed RV cassette toilet — no plumbing needed
Pine interior, low-VOC PolyWhey finish, hemp insulation, pine-tar or oiled exterior, copper details, cedar deck
No foundation needed — easy to relocate. We visit your site before delivery
Arrives finished by trailer; set, leveled, and plugged in the same day
Exterior 12'0" L × 8'2" W × 7'3" H · interior ceiling 6'3", 87" at the widest
50% deposit reserves your build slot; balance at delivery. Bay Area delivery included; farther afield quoted per site.
Reserve your build slotA conversation, a site photo or two, and a 50% deposit locks your slot in the build calendar.
We come see your spot before delivery — confirming access and placement, so delivery day holds no surprises.
Your Hive is built start-to-finish in our Oakland shop over a five-week cycle.
Delivery day: your cabin arrives finished and is set, leveled, and plugged in before dinner.
Two Hive cabins are open for booking at Point San Pablo Harbor — a hidden marina and working farm in the Bay Area. Wake up to water views, coffee on the deck, goats on the hill. From $145/night.
“The bed is very comfortable and the sheets and comforter made it so I didn't want to get up.” — KATY D.Book a night on Hipcamp
Hive Design is founder Cyrus Pond and a small Oakland crew building structures people feel something for. The goal isn't to be the biggest builder of backyard cabins — it's to be the one people think of when they want a structure as beautiful as it is functional. Proof that everyday buildings can be works of art.
In most California jurisdictions, structures under 120 sq ft without plumbing don't require a building permit — the Hive is designed to that threshold. Rules vary by city and use.
A reasonably level spot roughly 13' × 9' and standard outdoor power within reach. We visit your site before delivery to confirm access and placement.
Your cabin arrives finished on a trailer and we set it in place with our own equipment — leveled, plugged in, and ready the same day.
Cabins are built in five-week cycles from our Oakland shop. Current slots deliver this fall and winter — reserve early; the calendar is small on purpose.
Solid pine and cedar, hemp fiber insulation, and low-VOC, whey-based finishes. No fiberglass, no formaldehyde-bonded panels, no vinyl. It smells like a woodshop, not a new car.
Finish options (pine-tar black or natural oiled exterior), hardware, and interior layout tweaks — yes. The hexagon itself stays sacred.
Tell us a little about your site and what you have in mind. Cyrus reads every message himself and usually replies within a day or two. To reserve a build slot, just say so — we'll follow up with the deposit details.
Prefer to talk?
(802) 595-9990
cyrus@hivedesign.us
Your message is on its way to Cyrus. Expect a reply within a day or two. If it's time-sensitive, text (802) 595-9990.